Effects of Thermal Conditions on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Cu–SiCp Surface Nanocomposites by Friction Stir Processing Route

In the present investigation, surface-level nanocomposites were prepared by friction stir processing (FSP) using 50 nm-sized SiC particles with a cluster of blind holes as particulate deposition technique on a 6-mm-thick pure Cu plate. Effects of thermal conditions during FSP by three process parameters in three levels using response surface methodology on microstructure and mechanical properties were studied. Regression models were developed for various responses, and ANOVA tool was used to check the adequacy of the developed models. The results showed that the peak temperature achieved during FSP played a vital role in deciding the microstructure of Cu–SiC nanocomposites and the corresponding mechanical properties. FESEM-based microstructural characterizations revealed a uniform dispersion of SiC and its well bonding with the copper matrix. Nanocomposite layers exhibited superior microhardness and dry sliding wear characteristics than the matrix metal. FSP was identified as a low energy consumption route for the successful fabrication of surface-level Cu/SiCp nanocomposites.